When I got home, I decided I wanted to try it too! So I took a trip to my local art supply store, purchased an assortment of crochet hooks (because buying just one would have been too reasonable) and picked out a variegated yarn that I liked the look of. My crochet supplies and a magazine on crochet basics in hand, I left the store beaming with pride.
When I got home, I settled into my comfy arm chair and proceeded to be completely dumbfounded by the crochet magazine. Not a word in that sucker made sense. Not to be defeated, I remembered my sis-in-law mentioning that she used a lot of YouTube videos when learning how to crochet. I pulled out the laptop and started searching. Within minutes I at least had something I could visualize and try to recreate.
The videos did not, however, click right away. I'm pretty sure my hubby thought I was going to lose my mind. How in the world were they making the yarn and hook work together in such blissful harmony!? My poor yarn looked ratted and fuzzy from being manhandled over and over again as I tried in vain to make what they made look so easy happen for myself. It took hours of stubborn trying, over and over again. I almost gave up. I'm so glad I didn't!!
I'm not sure what finally made it click for me, but suddenly I was doing it! I had a few rows of what passed for crochet! WIN! I proceeded to happily double crochet row after row, so proud of myself! What I ended up with was awful... lopsided, uneven, embarrassing. I had a lot of improvement to make in my skill and execution but I now knew I could do it if I was willing to keep trying.
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| My very first and very sad attempt at crochet! |
Over the next couple of months I learned a ton! Trial and error were often frustrating but the payout when I finished something that I wasn't embarrassed to show someone was awesome. Now, about a year later, it's my favorite thing to do when I have a few minutes to myself.
Here are a few of the reasons why I LOVE crochet... and I think you will too.
Making something by hand is a labor of love. Every single stitch means something, especially if you have someone in mind when you make it. The person who will receive the item you are crocheting is being showered with love with every twitch of the crochet hook. The joy I feel giving a baby blanket to my sister or my cousin, stitching together granny squares for my nephew so he has a lovie to cuddle after his surgery, the hours spent working the detailed color changes into a scarf for my husband... these things are why I do it. The feeling of doing something by hand... it just means so much more.
There's something fascinating about taking a ball of yarn and turning it into a work of art. The way the stitches come together to make something beautiful. I catch myself stopping to enjoy the progress of what I'm making over and over as I make something. It is constantly changing and developing as I go. From a simple chain to a few rows of stitches to a full blown blanket. The transition is amazing and beautiful!
Life is STRESSFUL. Every day it feels like something happens that pushes the boundaries of my patience and crochet is a calming force in my life. When I'm past the point of being able to deal with life with grace and dignity, I can crochet. Zone out, let the steady rhythm of the stitches take over and by the time I've gotten a few rows done, I generally feel better and can look at the day's problem with a little more objectivity. It's stitch therapy and I couldn't live without it.
These are just a few reasons why I love crochet. It has something for everyone and I hope if you are interested in crochet, you can find the something that it can add to your life. You won't regret trying, I promise, just remember not to quit if it doesn't click right away.
